The present political configuration of governance in Hong Kong has largely thrived on the pre-1997 colonial logic of administrative state and government by bureaucracy, as modified by the new ministerial system of political appointments introduced in mid-2002. Institutional incompatibilities, the lack of a democratic political regime with bottom-up mandate, a concurrent crisis of identity and trust, and rising political cynicism despite internationally acclaimed government performance, have together made governance all the more difficult. Hong Kong is at a crossroads where a new development model plus paradigm shift in governance are warranted.

Professor Cheung received his PhD degree in Government from the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK. He has written extensively on privatization, civil service and public sector reforms, governance and politics in Hong Kong and China, and Asian administrative forms. He was the founding Chairman of the policy think-tank SynergyNet and sits on the board of directors of the Hong Kong Policy Research Institute.